RailEnquiry

The waiting time at the New Delhi Railway station just got yummy. Over 3.5 lakh passengers using the New Delhi railway station daily will be able to enjoy multi-cuisine flavours at round-the-clock food court on Platform 1.

The food court opened this week and has six outlets.

The passengers can chose from a wide array of options on offer. There is a China-Thai zone that offers Thai and Chinese food varieties; South Indian cuisine; Punjabi delights; an Amul ice cream parlour; and a street food corner. An in-house Railways unit will also have an outlet to sell packaged food and beverages.

Railways officials said three outlets at the food court have started functioning, and the remaining will start soon.

To provide authentic varieties of the famous Old Delhi food, authorities have invited bids from the vendors of the Parathewali Gali. The fully air-conditioned food court is spread on an area of around 700 sqm, and can accommodate nearly 300 people at a time.

“The restaurant was constructed by modifying the space available on Platform 1 of the railway station. Civil and electrical changes were carried out at the station to build a food court,” Divisional Railway Manager A K Sachan said.

The food court will operate in an unique manner with clear revenue sharing model between Railways and the private food vendors.

The cafe will have a central billing system, controlled by the Railways. The passengers will pay at the main counter and will be given a token, which can be used at the stalls.

“The eating outlets will not accept cash directly. This way the Railways will know the exact revenue earned from the purchase made. The revenue will be shared with the food vendors according to the contractual agreement. In the old system, cases were witnessed where the vendors often show modest sales figure to retain higher revenue,” a Railways official said.